Page 57 of A Secret Infatuation
He retained her hands in his clasp. “I am well. I am better now that I am with you.”
A look of tenderness came into his eyes as he added, “I learned from Lord Henry that you successfully applied to three Society women for a subscription in one visit—and that you also gave me the courtesy of believing me without having proof of my innocence.”
“Well, I know Robert—Mr. Cunningworth. And I feel I have come to know you.” She plunged ahead, despite the boldness of her words. “Your character does not lend itself to duplicity, Felix.” The name had slipped out involuntarily, and she felt the accompanying flush of embarrassment as soon as it reached her own ears.
He smiled broadly. “I cannot tell you how much I enjoy hearing my name on your lips, Sophia.”
She bit her lip and glanced down at their joined hands until she had recovered her composure. Allowing her hands to rest in Felix’s felt both intensely personal and just right. She brought her gaze up to his.
“You are all that is honorable. I have thought so from the first time you defended me all those years ago, and I think so today.” He rubbed his thumb over hers, causing her breath to dissipate like a puff.
“Had I known that day that you would remember such a small service… There are a great many services I hope to perform for you if I am allowed.”
Sophia inhaled, swept along by an overpowering wave of excitement and nerves. My dream is coming true! She wanted to tell him that she had loved him since that day in the Chawleigh’s drawing room, but she was too nervous. Her beleaguered mind leapt in an entirely different direction.
“My brother, Evo, overheard Robert threatening to bring about your downfall. It seems Mr. Grantly attempted to defend you, but Mr. Perkins encouraged him in it. And our butler was the one who informed Mr. Cunningworth where I had gone. He is not unknown to Turton, you see.” She was speaking nonsense. He needed to know this, but not at this precise moment.
“Ah. I had wondered how he knew where to find me—or you, I suppose.” Felix straightened his lips. “Robert is jealous. And that trait, combined with being used to getting what he wants, has led him to this unfortunate act of spite. I only hope he will think better of it and turn his life in a different direction.”
“I hope so, too,” she said softly. A silence fell between them, and the air grew thick with all she wanted to say, all that was bottled up inside. She took a breath.
“I have always loved you.”
“Sophia, will you marry me?”
They had spoken at the same time, and it took a moment for his words to penetrate. They had been breathless and rushed, and she wondered if he had planned on asking her. Her eyes grew wide, and she watched his smile grow as her words reached him.
“You have always loved me?” he asked, his voice infused with doubt, but hope and delight, too.
“Since the day I first met you, yes.” She nodded, as though to add strength to her statement. And then because he had not repeated himself, and because she wanted to be entirely sure she had heard him, “You want to marry me?”
“Desperately.” He briefly tightened his hold as if to punctuate the word. “I know it is not quite the thing to propose to a woman without having disclosed the state of my own affairs, but if you will inform me of your guardian’s name and direction, I will contact him.”
“I…” She did not know how to respond. Should she say yes to his proposal or give him her uncle’s name and direction?
He let out a soft groan. “This isn’t going at all as it should. I’m nervous,” he confessed. “But I love you, Sophia. And if you will allow me the privilege of doing so, I will cherish you for the rest of my life.”
“You love me?”
“Yes,” he said as though it were evident. He released her hands to caress her cheek and whispered with a lopsided smile, “Goose.”
This made her laugh in happiness—and release of all she was feeling. Her eyes were fixed at some point around his mouth, and she lifted them to his, hoping he would ask her again in a way she could answer.
“Sophia, before you give me your answer, allow me to tell you of the bargain you’ll be getting in me.” His voice was self-effacing and humorous, sincere.
“I promise to see that you have every comfort I can possibly give you. As you now know, I do have a house. To own the truth, I bought it with you in mind, for I could not offer for you without having a home to bring you to. I am hoping you will like it.”
He paused and she nodded for him to go on. “Although I think you will have a comfortable life with me, I cannot offer you all of the elegancies to which you are accustomed. But I can offer you every elegance of heart. Faithfulness, protection, esteem…passion.” His whispered last word sent a shiver through her, and he paused, allowing the stretch of time to carry the significance of his next words. “Will you make me the happiest man alive and agree to become my wife?”
Those elegancies he spoke of were what Sophia treasured most, and she needed no reflection to give her answer.
“Yes, Felix. I will marry you.”
His face split into a smile so encompassing it reached his eyes. “I will make you happy. I promise it.”
How in the world could one fit so much happiness inside one body, Sophia wondered? She could not say another word but nodded and smiled as broadly as he did.
The clock struck the hour with a loud chime, and he bent down and kissed her. It was a simple kiss, but its effect was just as sweeping as the happiness had been. In kissing him back, she was engulfed with a different kind of sensation.
